Sold My Bronco

[Oster]

I bought it for $200.00 brand new a couple months ago and sold it for $100.00. A one hundred dollar lesson/reminder that with bass you can't cut corners.

On the bright side, I'm playing exclusively my Jazz again and fully appreciating all the time and money I had sunk into it. FWIW I had bought the Bronco as a back-up bass but I had fallen into the habit of playing it more - was I actually just trying in vain to love it?

I just can't get around a satin-finished neck. If there's one thing I wish Fender/Squier would do it would be to reintroduce the thicker, highly glossed (better dressed) neck finishes of old.

If there's a point to this thread it's to say that I've really become very picky with my basses whereas before I wasn't so much. The neck is where you do all your playing and a good one just simply doesn't come cheap (at least not these days: I had a '70s Musicmaster neck that was superb).

I read alot about how now is the time to get quality for cheap but I beg to differ. Some things have improved (electronics, hardware, etc.) but others have worsened (neck, frets).

[Tim Armstrong]

I'm currently playing a fairly late-model Squier Vista Series Musicmaster Bass, and even though this one had a glossy neck, I still didn't dig it, so I put the '73 Musicmaster Bass neck I had on it and I'm a whole lot happier (my Mutant Musicmaster has been disassembled so a friend of mine can refinish the body).

My big complaint with the newer neck is that it's flatter and feels wider too. My old neck has a nice C shape that really feels better in my hand...

Cheers, Tim

[jwsamuel]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

My big complaint with the newer neck is that it's flatter and feels wider too. My old neck has a nice C shape that really feels better in my hand...

Why not just sand the gloss off the neck you like?

Jim

[Tim Armstrong]

Originally Posted by jwsamuel

Why not just sand the gloss off the neck you like?

Jim

I wasn't complaining about the finish! I like the gloss neck! I didn't like the flatter, wider shape of the Squier neck, so I put the old Fender neck on the bass. Reading my earlier post, I can see where it might have come out backwards!

Cheers, Tim

[Dennis_UK]

Well, I have both kinds of neck, and don't mind either. My black MIM P (satin neck) is now glossy anyway - 100 gigs does tend to do that!

[photoweborama]

I still like ours. Of course it has a SD rail in it. The only down side I can see is the two saddle bridge. Can't intonate it very well..

[Oster]

Originally Posted by Dennis_UK

Well, I have both kinds of neck, and don't mind either. My black MIM P (satin neck) is now glossy anyway - 100 gigs does tend to do that!

Yeah mine was headed that way. It had been gigged a few times and a few sessions - plus it was my unplugged practice bass all the while I had it. It was strating to shine up a little on the back. The headstock will never buff out to a gloss though! (and yes that's strictly visual but it does have a psychological effect). Plus the fingerboard on that satin stuff gets dirty which I don't care for either - unless it has taken years and not the two months it took mine.

As I say, it had the newcomer's novelty so it was getting all the play. When I opened up my Jazz Bass case awhile back finally after that two month break it had, it was like looking at a brand new Cadillac! The playing was strikingly better too. The proverbial straw...

So I'm a one bass bass player now. There's always that elusive Rickenbacker 4003 or Mosrite Ventures luring me from the sides but until my horse wins I'm going to stick with my Jazz.

It's great fun discovering what works for you though. You don't know until you try and with the Bronco the price is certainly right.